


An Intense Fragility

by ForeverAlone5



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Bad Jokes, Bad Puns, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I'm bad at making puns, M/M, Miscommunication, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 01:57:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15831420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverAlone5/pseuds/ForeverAlone5
Summary: Relationships were difficult. They were messy and required patience and communication. Despite all that, Patton dreamt of being in one, platonic or romantic (he hoped for romantic), his eyes set on a far fetched dream.





	An Intense Fragility

Relationships were difficult. They were messy and required patience and communication. Despite all that, Patton dreamt of being in one, platonic or romantic  ~~ he hoped for romantic ~~ , his eyes set on a far fetched dream.

 

He stared up at the beige coloured ceiling, body starfished on the bed and blankets and pillows haphazardly strewn around him.

 

Patton flopped over onto his tummy with a groan. Burying his head into his crossed arms, he let out a long sigh. Ever since he and his three best friends had been accepted into their own colleges, the four of them had been having trouble finding the time for each other.

 

They had tried to find the time to communicate and talk to each other, tried to keep each other updated on their lives.

 

They even had a schedule that they tried to stick to, provided by Logan himself. Even still, obligations and demands kept them from truly having the in depth talks that they used to have in high school.

 

There was an ache within him that makes him long for some sort of affection, some sort of companionship that wasn’t just from the occasional meeting with his classmates.

 

He tried to be nice to all his classmates, tried to invite them all out for anything, but none of them had truly clicked with him like the other three did; they just weren’t… right. 

 

He still went out of his way to include them all, but the loneliness was starting to eat him alive. None of his classmates seemed to want to talk, to go to a coffee shop and just hang out for hours on end.

  
They just seemed to want talk about dates and how many people they had hit up with.

 

He knew that he was overgeneralizing, that there were probably people that had the same interests that he had, but after what seemed like the ten thousandth rejection in a span of two years, he had given up.

 

That didn’t mean he’d stop looking, trying to find  _ someone _ that will tolerate him, be around him. He knew that his enthusiasm and cheer can be exhausting, he just wanted someone, anyone.

 

He  ~~ just wanted ~~ missed his best friends.

 

Patton rolled onto his back again, one arm over his forehead, the other on his stomach and a blanket wrapped around his ankles. His breathing was shallow, and the repetition of his arm moving rhythmically up and down didn’t help him. The blurry mess of his ceiling and tacked on glow in the dark stars did nothing to assuage his mood. 

 

A small vibration interrupted his brooding. He looked over to his bedside table, his phone flashing to indicate a message.

 

He sat up, his left hand running through his hair. Patton grimaced at the greasy feeling, wiping his hand on his shirt.

 

Reaching out for his phone, he swiped his password and squints at the message.

 

_ [Smol, Dark Son]: hey patty, discord soon? _

 

_ [Me]: I’ll be on in five! _

 

Shutting his phone off, he reached for his laptop and booted it up. As he waited for his laptop to turn on, he slid out of his bed, putting on his glasses and shrugged on a sweatshirt, one that might’ve been Virgil’s given the particular font and graphic design.

 

He couldn’t let his kiddos see how he much he went through without them. He had gone through most of his life not being so dependant on others, just because he needed hugs every now and then doesn’t mean he wouldn’t survive.

 

He was their happy, pappy Patton, the pun loving father figure that just wanted to love the whole world.

 

Patton pulled the hood over his head, making sure to hide the greasy mess that was his hair. The red curls he didn’t manage to hide, he was able to at least manage it in a way that didn’t seem like a pig sty.

 

Clicking the icon open, he saw that Virgil was on and opened up the chat. Another screen pops up, and Patton quickly accepted the call.

A screen popped up and a groggy Virgil was on his screen,  _ “Pat?” _

Patton smiled genuinely for what felt like the first time in days, “Hi, Virgil!”

Virgil grinned tiredly at him, giving a small salute,  _ “Hey, Pat. Logan’s here too if you wanna say hi.” _

Virgil angled the camera to the side where Logan was laying lethargically on his left shoulder, “ _ Salutations, Patton,” _ Logan yawned out.

Logan was wearing the constellation shirt Patton had gotten him for his birthday one year, and his black hair stuck up in every direction. His glasses were off, and the freckles dotting his cheeks were prominent with them off.

Patton wriggled his fingers in a wave, “Hey, Lo! How’s M.I.T. coming along?”

_ “Tiring,” _ Logan admitted wearily, his eyes fluttered as he struggled to stay awake. Logan rubbed his eyes and sat up, shoulder pressing into Virgil.

Patton noticed how Virgil pressed back into Logan, Virgil’s hand twitching toward him before restraining himself. Logan didn’t comment on the motion, just pressed even closer to Virgil. Patton didn’t say anything, even if the ache started to spread and the doubts sown.

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Patton prompted him gently. Logan gave him a long look, the calculating gaze on him that he hadn’t seen in so long giving him a fuzzy feeling inside. 

Logan narrowed his eyes before giving a short tangent about the ignorance of his classmates and how he had to join the the swim team as a requirement. 

Patton watched Virgil throughout Logan’s little tirade. He observed the fond smile on his face, how he shifted Logan closer to him, an arm around his waist now, it was like he didn’t even remember that Patton was still here.

The dull ache returned with a vengeance as he watched the soft look in Virgil’s eyes. It wasn’t hard to conclude what had happened between the two of them after college had started. 

_ “Lo,” _ Virgil gently prodded,  _ “we wanted to tell Patton something, remember?” _

Logan stopped after several minutes, the fiery light in his eyes dying down as he blushed,  _ “Apologies,” _ he reached up to fix his glasses before dropping them when he realized they weren’t there,  _ “As Virgil previously stated, we meant to inform you of an important event that had recently transpired in the two of our lives,” _ Logan said.

“Yeah?” Patton asked, leaning closer to his screen. He was fairly certain he knew what they were going to tell him, but it was nice to be included.

“What’s up?”

Logan took a moment before holding up his hand, laced with Virgil’s, clearly for Patton to see.

_ “We are in a committed romantic relationship with each other,” _ Logan stated, lowering their intertwined hands.

Patton squealed, clapping his hands together in excitement, “Oh my gosh! When did this happen?”

Virgil smiled at his excitement, flicking his hair away. He wrapped an arm around Logan, pulling him in close, “It wasn’t that long ago, maybe a few months at the most.” He looked at Logan with the most lovestruck expression Patton has ever seen on Virgil.

It wasn’t even as prominent as the ones Roman had in the past, but his grey-blue eyes were soft instead of a steely grey. His trademark smirk was traded in for a gentle smile as he stared at Logan.

_ “Indeed, Virgil and I have been together for at the most a few months after an extremely difficult panic attack that Virgil had endured.” _

“What? Oh my goodness! Were you both okay afterwards?” Patton asked in concern.

Virgil nodded, an embarrassed smile on his face, _ “I had realized earlier that I was in love with him and then started to panic over it. Logan noticed and helped me cope a bit, and the adrenaline got to me for a bit, and I kinda, sorta, maybe kissed him.” _

Patton’s chastisement died stuck in his throat when he saw the besotted expression the two shared with each other. Something wilted inside him as he surveyed the sight in front of him.

He plastered on a happy grin, “Aw, I’m so happy for you kiddos! Did you tell Roman yet?”

The two shook out of their reverie before shaking their head in denial.

_ “We had attempted to call him earlier, but had received his voicemail instead. We have instead left him a text as it is rather late, and I presume that once Roman has come home from rehearsal and checks his messages he will know.” _

Logan’s voice started to slur at the end of his last sentence, his head slowly slumping down onto Virgil’s shoulder.

Patton nodded in understanding, but then looked at the clock, “Aw, shoot, it’s getting rather late over there, kiddos. You better be going to sleep soon, or I will personally fly over there myself to tuck you in.”

Virgil chuckled,  _ “No need for that, Patty-cake, we need go to bed anyway.” _

Patton nodded his head in agreement, staring at them sternly, “Good, now go to sleep. And don't let the bedbugs bite!”

They exchanged their farewells before Patton closed his laptop and shoved it to the side, barely remembering to charge it at the last minute.

He was happy for his friends, honest! He was very happy that Virgil and Logan have gotten together and found love with one another.

That didn’t stop the ache, the loneliness, from spreading even further, wrapping its constricting tendrils around his heart and squeezing tightly.

The pain that Patton didn’t want to acknowledge, that was always following him tightens. He grit his teeth, hunching over slightly and gripping his heart.

A sob crawled its way out of his throat and he fell onto his side with a muffled thump.

Curling up protectively around himself and a pillow in his arms, he let out everything he had been feeling in a heart wrenching sob.

 

* * *

 

 

“Lo?” Virgil asked, a hand swirling circles into his partner's shirtless back, the morning sun creeping into their room from behind their curtains.

Logan hummed sleepily, “Yeah, V? What s’it?”

“Did- did Patton seem sorta off to you last night?”

“How-” Logan yawned, “how do you mean?”

Virgil bit the bottom of his lip, chewing it in thought. Logan stopped him, gently prying his lips apart.

He gave him a tender kiss and smile, more awake, “You were saying about Patton?”

Virgil nodded, “He- he wasn't- I don't know. Something seemed off during our whole talk. Did you notice how he didn't make any sort of pun while we were talking? Or how he was just listening this time and didn't interject or anything? Do you think something's wrong? What if he's hurt? What if-?”

Logan stopped him, placing a hand on his rapidly beating heart. Virgil stared into those icy, blue eyes that he fell in love with, his own blown wide in anxiety.

“Virgil, stop. You are overthinking things again,” Logan stated firmly. “You will work yourself into an anxiety attack should you continue. Follow my breathing.”

Logan placed Virgil's hand on his heart, breathing rhythmically until Virgil's own erratic breathing subsided.

“Now that you are not in a state of panic, I shall add my own input. While I understand your concerns for Patton, might I suggest that perhaps that, as it was so late, he was too tired to interject any puns?”

Virgil shook his head, “No, even half asleep Patton would say some sort of pun, even a really bad one. Remember all of our sleepovers?”

Logan nodded in acknowledgement, “Yes, I could see why that is out of the ordinary. However, perhaps schoolwork and the like has been piling up for him. It is close to mid-term, we possibly could have caught him after a bout of studying.”

“I- maybe,” Virgil said, unsure, “But I didn't see any of his books or notebooks around him, and you know he's a messy studier.”

“He could have possibly cleaned everything up before accepting our call,” Logan countered gently, “and was too tired to actively do anything more than listen.”

“May- maybe,” Virgil stuttered before deflating, “You're- you’re probably right. What would I do without you?”

“Lose all your personal belongings in the first week of school,” Logan retorted.

“That was one time! And we were on a weekend field trip!” Virgil laughingly protested.

Logan smiled at Virgil before rolling on top of him and kissing his laughing face soft and sweet. 

Virgil melted into the kiss, hands tangling into Logan's hair. Several moments later, they pulled back, breath coming out slightly stuttered.

They smiled softly at each other before Logan gave Virgil another soft peck and rolled off.

“Come, beloved, as much as I love kissing you, you stink of morning breath.”

Virgil's startled laughter followed Logan into the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

 

Roman was exhausted. He and his partners had been working on their group project early into the morning. He had three essays that were due by the end of the week, and he had barely started on the first one. He still needed to memorize his lines by Thursday, and he hadn't had a full conversation with any of his best friends in months.

Roman fell onto his bed with a groan, body twisting into a dramatic pose. He sighed heavily, as he contemplated his schedule.

He rolled onto his back, an arm over his eyes. They were starting to sting, so he knew that he’d have to take out his contacts soon. Roman sat up, arms encircling his knees loosely.

“Roman Vuong, you are a hot mess. Nay, not even a hot mess, an uncool mess,” he said, “Who knew that double majoring would be such hard work?”

Laughing slightly at his rhetorical remark, he swung his legs over the side of his bed. He pushed himself off and headed to the bathroom. 

Taking off his contacts, he started to prep himself for night. A loud twinkling noise alerted him of a notification on his phone. He paused and looked over to his phone on the bedside table, wondering if it was worth it to go over there.

He sighed as another buzz sets off, setting his lotion down. He picked up his phone, unlocking it quickly. A notification from Twitter popped up, and he swept it away.

He scrolled through his Instagram for awhile before noticing the glaring one atop his messages app. Sighing, he opened the application, and frowned slightly at Logan’s message.

Clicking it, his eyes widened at the message.

_ [Erlenmeyer Trash]: Salutations Roman. Virgil and I wish to inform you of a rather significant event that has transpired in our lives. Virgil and I have agreed to be in a romantic relationship together. _

_ Kind regards, Logan. _

Rolling his eyes at the formal speech, he clicked his phone off and set it on the nightstand. He fell onto his bed with a gentle thump.

_ ‘So the nerd and emo nightmare have finally gotten together,’  _ he thought,  _ ‘good on them.’ _

Roman ignored the pang in his heart as he smiled for his friends’ new status. He was overjoyed, over the moon really.

 

It wasn’t like he wanted them to pine forever, he had had enough of that in high school, already. The fact that he  was ~~in love with all of them~~ was rather put out that he wasn’t able talk to them.

 

His phone started to buzz and he rolled over to pick it up, Patton’s smiling face and contact name popping up.

Sighing slightly, he didn’t want Patton’s cheer right now. He just wanted to curl up on his bed, hug Mrs. Fluffybottoms to his chest and maybe cry a bit.

Roman bit his bottom lip, gnawing on it in indecision before the call dropped and went to voicemail. 

A text popped up from Patton and he tapped to read it.

_ [Puffball Padre]: Did you hear the news about Virgil and Logan??? :)))) _

Roman tapped out his response quickly, not bothering to reread it before hitting send.

_ [Me]: Oh yes, true love has prevailed once more!!!!!!! _

Another chime alerted him to Patton’s response, but Roman didn’t feel like checking. Sadness reared its ugly head. He sighed, burrowing his head into his pillow.

_ True love may have prevailed for Logan and Virgil, but unrequited love has also made its appearance. _

* * *

~~ ~~

Patton frowned when he read Roman’s response. Usually he’d send dozens of emojis, not exclamation marks.

However, it  _ was  _ late when he texted him, so that could have been a factor. Patton knew that Roman had had a crush on Logan since their Junior year of high school, but he had been too scared to do anything about it.

Patton had slightly hoped that maybe the distance would’ve allowed the feelings to fade away, so ~~that he could try with Logan or even Roman~~ that he wouldn’t be hurt if Logan had found someone else.

He was so sure that Roman would’ve done something during graduation, but it seemed that he was still afraid. And now Logan and Virgil were together.

Patton sighed, not knowing what to say to Roman. Everything that had happened was too much, too fast.

Virgil and Logan were together. Patton was thousands of miles away from his best friends  ~~and crushes~~.   Roman was most definitely hurting over Virgil and Logan’s new relationship. 

And Patton was so, so lost.

 

* * *

 

 

Logan opened his journal and put the tip of his pen on the first blank page. He hesitated, and sighed. He wasn’t going to get any work done at this rate. Glancing over at the clock, he was slightly surprised to see that he stopped hours earlier than he thought he did.

Stretching with a yawn, he stood up. He left his study, walking out to the kitchen.

Logan stopped, eyes fond on the figure curled up on the arm of the couch. He shook his head slightly, continuing to the kitchen. Virgil rarely got any sleep, so Logan was content to just leave him to it.

Grabbing a water bottle and his jar of Crofters, he headed back to his room, pausing only to lay a blanket on Virgil and a gentle kiss on his cheek.

He settled in bed, spooning Crofters into his mouth. Even the sweet taste of the jam wasn’t enough to soothe the worry he had felt earlier.

  
Virgil was right, something was off about Patton. He hadn’t noticed until a few weeks ago. They were talking over discord again, but this time something was…  _ off. _

Logan truly hadn’t noticed until about halfway into the hour. He winced at the reminder, not enjoying that he hadn’t noticed something about one of his first friends.

Patton had been wearing more makeup than usual. More than enough that it covered the very prominent freckles on his face.

It was disconcerting, Logan noticed, his cheery demeanor felt forced. His smile was too wide and didn’t reach his eyes. His usually so bright blue eyes lacked that sparkle that he was so used to, and it unnerved him. 

Checking the time again, he grabbed his laptop. 

_ [Me]: Good evening, Patton, would you like to commune with me? _

Within seconds, he answered.

_ [Patty-cake]: Sure, Lolo!!!!!! <3 <3 _

The icon over the symbol flashed, and Logan clicked accept. Patton’s smiling face took over his screen, he waved wildly with a huge smile.

_ “Hi, Lo!”  _ Patton greeted warmly.

“Salutations, Patton,” Logan allowed a small, fond smile take up his face.

Patton smiled at him genuinely, his soft, blue eyes giving him a loving gaze.  _ “So, Lolo, why’d you call?” _

Patton tilted his head cutely, his red curls falling slightly in front of his eyes. He was bouncing slightly on his bed in anticipation and amusement.

Logan allowed his smile to spread, teasing, “Can I not spend some time with my best friend?”

Patton squealed, his hands coming up to cover his giant smile,  _ “You consider me your best friend?!?!!!” _

Logan tilted his head, “Why, of course, Patton, there is no other to compare.”

It was too dark to tell, but Logan was sure that Patton had blushed.  ~~ And why was his heart beating so fast? ~~

~~~~

Patton giggled,  _ “Well, there’s no other  _ ‘pare _ like us!” _

Logan groaned, but an unwilling smile graced his lips, “That wasn’t your best, Patton.”

Patton shrugged, still giggling with his hands over his mouth. His beautiful, blue eyes sparkled in mirth.

His giggles subsided, but Logan’s fond smile did not.  _ “So what’d you call me for, Loganberry?” _

Rolling his eyes at the nickname, he replied, “I have been feeling off as of late, and I wished to get my mind off of it.”

Patton tilted his head in concern, leaning slightly forward,  _ “Why’s that, Lo?” _

Logan sighed, “I have an idea of why… however it is not something that I wish to talk about. Tell me, Patton, how are you doing? How are your psychology classes?”

Patton’s eyes lit up impossibly brighter, _ “They’re doing great! There was this one lesson where….” _

  
Logan let Patton’s excited voice wash over him, allowing his worry and stress over Patton  ~~ and his feelings for him ~~ to wash away.

 

* * *

 

 

Virgil woke up with a start, glancing blearily around the dark room with squinty eyes. He grumbled slightly, rubbing his eyes and grimacing at his hands coming away with makeup. There was a sense of unease as he adjusted to the waking world.

He picked up his phone, flinching slightly when the dim screen light surprised him. It flashed dully, alerting him of a notification.

_ [Princey]: jkbhgk _

Virgil was immediately concerned, the word mash was a signal to the others whenever he or they were in an emotional breakdown or panic attack.

He checked the time, noticing that it was only a few minutes ago. So, that was what woke him up.

_ [Me]: u up for talking? _

There was an instantaneous reply.

_ [Princey]: yeah _

That was bad, Roman wasn’t one for proper grammar, but he always capitalized the first word of a sentence.

Virgil pulled up discord on his phone and saw a video request, accepting it right away.

Roman’s messy dirty blond curls came into view, and Virgil frowned, not liking the greasy texture of it.

“Ro? What’s up?” Virgil’s voice was soft, gentle, not wanting to startle or put him off.

Roman groaned, burying his head into his pillow. Virgil’s concern grew, “Roman? C’mon, man, it’s not good to bottle it up, you know that.”

Roman lifted his head slightly, his face a mess that matched his hair. It was clear that Roman hadn’t put in as much work at taking care of himself lately.

“Roman, tell me what’s wrong.” Virgil channeled Patton’s Stern Dad^TM  voice as well as he could, putting as much emphasis in his voice.

Roman sighed, the curls on his head fluttering up and down,  _ “I’m….” _

He trailed off, mumbling the rest of his words. Virgil gave him a stern look, and Roman blew out another sigh, “ _ Fine, I’m- I’m heartbroken.” _

Virgil’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, out of everything that Virgil expected Roman to say, that was not one of them. “Yeah? So who’s the lucky person?”

_ “Not me, that’s for sure,” _ Roman laughed bitterly, and Virgil cringed, not used to or liking the bitter tone.

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short, Ro. You’re a great guy, and whoever they are, well it’s their loss.”

Roman laughed, bittersweet,  _ “Thanks, Virge. It’s just- they’re so…  _ amazing _ and talented and brilliant and smart and lovely and beautiful and a million other positive adjectives that I can use to describe.” _

“Yeah? What makes them so great?” Virgil settled back into the couch, wrapping the blanket that Logan most definitely left for him around himself.

Roman’s eyes lit up, and he sat up,  _ “They’re great! They love Disney like me, singing along or humming, and sometimes they point out inaccuracies of the movies. And I love that because they’re so smart! And I love listening to them talk. We even have a bet where I pick the movie and see how long they’ll rant for, so far it’s been fifteen minutes. They also love astronomy, sometimes they just sit outside watching or they lecture about space and I just watch how passionate and beautiful they are. They can get over excited about the silliest or simplest things, like dogs and cats, and I- I… love them.” _

Roman’s voice was wistful as he spoke of his mystery person, green eyes glazed over in his memories and daydreams, letting the words get away from him.

“Where’d you meet them?”

Virgil watched as Roman stiffened and opened his mouth a few times before there was a small beep. He cursed, “ _ Sorry, V, my phone’s about to die. Gotta go before it shuts off on me. Toodles~!” _

The video cut off, and Virgil was left staring at a dark chat box. He blinked slightly at the sudden cut off, something was amiss about the person Roman was in love with.

Because it sounded like… it sounded like that he was in love with him _ and _ Patton  _ and  _ Logan.

All the evidence pointed to that. He and Patton loved Disney while Logan loved to point out the inaccuracies of all the movies. Virgil was the one who had bet Roman how long Logan would rant, and surprisingly Patton was in the lead.

He and Logan loved sitting outside and watching the stars, and Roman had accompanied them out on a few of them. They hadn’t been to many now that Roman had moved to New York, but that was some of his best times watching the stars.

Patton always squealed over the dogs and cats he saw on his walks, and he loved to be excited over any accomplishment the other three had done, even the ones where Virgil had woken up early for once.

  
There was the small chance that Roman meant someone else, but- but Virgil  ~~ didn’t let himself hope ~~ didn’t know what to think.

 

* * *

 

_ ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid! Shit, fuck, fucking shit, damn, crap, fucking dammit!!’ _

Roman blew out a harsh breath, “If Patton heard me now….” he chuckled at the thought.

Patton would have his hands on his hips, cocked to the side, with a disapproving expression on his face, tutting at him for his language.

His lips would be puckered in that adorable pout of his where Roman could just lean forward and…. _Dammit, Roman, this is what_ _you’re supposed to_ not _do!_

He ran a hand through his unruly curls, tugging them lightly and grimacing at the greasy feel of them.

“What do I  _ do _ ? I wasn’t supposed to  _ gush _ over them, not when Virgil could so easily pick up whom I’m talking about. Virgil’s so smart, and he’s going to go tell Logan right away afterwards….”

Roman trailed off, eyes bright, “Unless I tell him first! Yeah! If I tell Logan and then Patton about my ‘crush’ then Virgil won’t be the one to mess it up for me. This’ll work, right?”

Roman shook his head, pulling out his laptop. Smiling slightly at the fact that Patton and Logan were already in a call.

_ [Me]: Can I cut in? I’ve got something to tell you. _

He took that time to fix his hair, the strands that came out of place when he ran a hand through them were meticulously put back together. A moment later, a notification popped up.

_ [Puffball Padre]: Yeah!!!! The more the merrier!!!!! _

_ [Erlenmeyer trash]: If you so desire, then by all means. _

Eagerly, Roman clicked the join call button, and he was met with smiling and slightly smirking faces, respectively referring to Patton and Logan.

_ “Hi, Roman!!!”  _ Patton waved enthusiastically, the screen only lagging slightly. Logan nodded his head in greeting, tired blue eyes fondly staring at him.

Roman felt his heart swell, so glad that he had his friends.

“Hey, guys, I wanted to….”

Roman trailed off when Patton tilted his head in concern, warm blue eyes boring into him. In contrast, Logan’s own blue eyes were sharper with curiosity, sparkling at him in a mix of concern and inquisitivity.

Roman swooned slightly at the contrast in the two in front of him, the concern easily seen but shown in two distinct and loving ways.

_ “-man! Roman!  _ Roman!” Logan’s worried voice called.

“Huh? What? Yes?” Roman snapped back into the conversation, Patton and Logan’s worried looks increasing.

_ “Are you alright? We lost you for a moment,” _ Patton asked while Logan tilted his head, concerned.

“Oh, oh, of course,” Roman rushed to reassure the two, voice high pitched, “after all I’m a prince! And a prince must always be at the ready, in cases of damsels in distress or dragon witches to slay!”   
  
His arms waved around as he spoke, words bursting out more confidently. He was rewarded by Patton’s little giggle and Logan’s relieved and annoyed smile.

Roman settled, leaning back when Patton ceased his giggling.

_ “What is it that you had to tell us, Roman?” _ Logan asked, his ice blue eyes back to their natural inquisitive nature.

Roman put his arm over his forehead, overdramatically swooning, “This prince’s heart has been captured!”   
  
Patton gasped, high pitched and squeaky _ , “Ooh, ooh! Tell us! Tell us about them!!” _ __  
__  
Roman smiled at his enthusiasm, “Well, the three of them are-”

_ “Three?” _ Logan cut in, and Roman felt his heart stop, his blood running thin. Patton tried to say something, but Roman cut him off, slightly hysterical.

“Oops, well it seems I have to go! Rehearsal calls, and I must obey,  _ goodbye _ !” 

He ended the call with a click and shut his laptop, breathing heavily. That was worse than his conversation with Virgil, at least with Virgil he could pass it off as one person. Now that he told Logan, and subsequently Patton, that there were three, then all bets were off.

Roman put his head in his hands, breathing heavily and willing the panic and tears away. This wasn’t what he wanted, he had hoped that this would pass, that these crushes would go away.

It was bad when it was just Logan, but now… having his crush be three people, not to mention that two of them are in a relationship, it didn’t seem like it could get any better.

He had pricked himself on a metaphorical thorn, trying to pick out a rose.

  
“Roman Vuong,” he breathed out a melancholy sigh, “you’ve surpassed an uncool mess into just a plain, old mess.”

 

* * *

 

 

Patton gave Logan a concerned look, “Do you think Roman’s okay? He knows we wouldn’t judge him if he was in love with three people, right?”

Logan made a noise,  _ “Perhaps it was more the  _ people _ than the quantity of crushes he had that had him worried.” _

“What do you mean by that, Lo?” Patton asked, face scrunching up in confusion.

Logan only hummed, murmuring to himself,  _ “I’ll have to take this into consideration.” _

“Logan?”

Logan snapped out of his thoughts to face Patton again,  _ “Thank you for answering my call, Patton, it has been most enlightening. I wish you farewell and goodnight.” _

“Wait!”

Logan paused, looking expectantly at Patton, brow raised.

“You… you can love more than one person?” he asked hesitantly.

_ “Well, of course,” _ Logan answered, as if it was so obvious, and Patton felt something twinge at his heart, _ “so long as the people involved know that and agree to be in the relationship. It is known as a polyamorous relationship and being polyamorous. If that is all, I must get going.” _

Patton nodded and barely got out a ‘goodnight’ before Logan had hung up the call. He sighed, closing the laptop lid gently.

  
Roman had a crush on…  _ three _ people? They were allowed to do that? They… could love more than one person romantically? Well, Logan said so, and he trusted Logan.

That… that changed  _ everything _ for Patton. He… he could be with the three of them if they wanted him.

And after so many years, he let himself let go of all the worries and secrets that he held within himself for a moment. 

The sadness of what couldn’t happen, the disgust he held for himself for loving three others, the ache in his heart when he saw something that reminded him of them, he let himself let all that go.

  
He let himself to imagine a possibility of a future with all four of them, together and happy.

And Patton let himself feel  _ hope. _

 

* * *

Logan closed his laptop with finality as he leaned back and pondered over what Roman had unintentionally revealed.

He folded his hand into a peak, leaning slightly forward and pensive. The feelings he had for Patton were of the romantic sort, that he figured out just before Roman had called.

He still loved Virgil, still held him in a part of his heart, but Patton had a part of that too. Did he feel that way toward Roman?

Logan thought back to every memory he participated in with him. The day that he obnoxiously burst into the library, singling him out and knocking all his books off the table with his grand arm sweeps was one of the first.

Another where he woke them all up at four in the morning to celebrate their five year ‘friend-iversary’ as he called was a prominent one.

Every single moment Roman tried to pick a petty argument with him over study habits and how to have fun was always on his mind.

But then… then there were  _ some _ moments where he had helped Logan into bed when he had ‘accidentally’ pulled another all-nighter. And there were moments where he helped Logan with sensory overload, pulling him out of the situation and just sitting with him until he was ready again.

There were the times where Roman listened to all the rants and lectures over injustices or passions he had for hours on end, over astronomy, Crofter or even the daily crosswords.

There were the times where Roman was so passionate, so brash, so brave with his professional make-believe where even Logan was mesmerized by his performance.

His sparkling green eyes that twinkled in mischief, paired with his always perfect hair and open personality.

Logan felt his heart speed up, and he put a hand to his chest, feeling the irregular pattern.

“Oh.”

 

* * *

Virgil hesitated to knock on their open bedroom door. He knew,  _ logically, _ that there was nothing to be scared of, that this was something that could be fixed with communication, but that didn’t help Virgil’s anxiety.

His heart was racing, not with adrenaline, but with fear. He fidgeted with the charm bracelet that Patton had gotten for him.

He smiled slightly at the reminder.

_ ~ _

_ “I see you fidgeting a lot, kiddo! And I thought something to actually fiddle with would be better than to just play with your fingers, so I got you this!” _

_ Patton held up the velvet box for him to see. The chain itself was a plain silver with a copious amount of charms attached to it for him to fidget. _ __  
_  
_ __ Virgil shakily took hold of the box, examining the bracelet closer. The charms seemed to correspond to himself and the other three.

_ There was a stormcloud, him, a crown, Roman, a book, Logan, and a cat for Patton. There were more, Jack Skellington and Sally were also on there and Lilo and Stitch as the last two. _

_ Virgil looked up to a sheepish Patton who was rubbing the back of his neck, “I looked up a bunch of fidget bracelets and rings, but none of them seemed the right fit. Then I looked up those Do It Yourself ones and just did that one instead. I know that you don’t really like those fidgets with loud noises or clickers on them, so I did a charm bracelet where you can just- oomph!” _

_ Patton was cut off by his rambling by a sudden hug from Virgil. He eagerly returned it, Virgil rarely gave out impromptu hugs and Patton  _ loved  _ hugs. _

_ “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Virgil muttered into Patton’s shoulders, some tears leaking out. He wrapped his legs around Patton’s waist. _

_ “Aww, it was nothing, kiddo,” Patton rubbed his back soothingly, practically carrying him at this point. “Just giving you something that will help. Here I was hoping that it would just  _ charm _ you, but I think it did more than that.” _

_ Virgil only hugged him tighter, a warm feeling in his heart. _

_ ~ _

Virgil smiled, Patton’s generosity was too much and so great. 

“Virgil?” Logan’s voice hesitantly called, and Virgil was jarred back into reality. He had been caught standing awkwardly at the door.

“Y-yeah?” Virgil cursed his stutter for coming in at such an inopportune moment.

“Are you alright, beloved?” Logan’s concerned voice called, and Virgil all but melted at the sound. 

Logan came toward Virgil, hands hovering in concern. Virgil opened his arms slightly, and Logan took that as an invitation to hug him.

Virgil buried his face into Logan’s hair, ever glad that he was shorter than him and could let him do this. He brought Logan over to their bed, and Logan cuddled up to his side.

Virgil played with the strands of Logan’s hair, absentmindedly brushing it. 

“Virgil? Were you in the midst of a panic attack?” Logan hesitantly asked, causing Virgil to pause in his ministrations.

“No,” he answered honestly, “I was about to though, I was just remembering….”

  
“Remembering?” Logan prompted.

“Remembering when Patton gave me my charm bracelet.”

Logan hummed, “Was it not the first day of high school when he did? It had improved your anxiety greatly, for which I am grateful he aided you with it.”

“Yeah, yeah, it was,” Virgil chuckled.

“Was there something else? I sense that that was not what drove you to almost have a panic attack.”

“I-” Virgil paused, uncertain. “No- no, there was nothing else.”

Logan hummed, unconvinced but let it go, “Well there is something that I have discovered about myself that I find that you will appreciate knowing.”

Virgil tensed,  _ ‘This is it. He’s going to break up with you. This is your fault. You drove him away. You were too distant.’ _

“I believe that I am polyamorous,” Logan said, and Virgil paused in his self-deprecation and fears.

“What?” he barely managed to get out.

“I believe that I am polyamorous, meaning that I have the ability or capacity to love more than one person at a time, which I believe that I do.”

“Oh,” Virgil breathed out, “ _ oh _ .” That made so much more sense. Wait, fuck, was he too?

“Oh?” Logan asked nervously.

“I- I think that I am too.”

“If this is a joke, then it isn’t funny, Virgil,” Logan’s voice trembled, and he slipped unconsciously into contractions, something he hated to use.

“Nononono,” Virgil rushed to reassure. “Roman said something, and it made me think.”

Logan relaxed slightly, “Roman told you of his ‘mystery people’ as well?” he asked, doing the air quotes.

“Yeah,” Virgil pulled Logan to hug him closer, nuzzling his nose into Logan’s hair, breathing in his scent of raspberries and sandalwood.

“He was the one who helped me realize,” Logan confirmed his suspicions, and Virgil relaxed.

“So, Roman and Patton?”

“Roman and Patton,” Logan nodded, and Virgil sighed in relief and with his heart full of love.

 

* * *

 

 

Roman was lost. He had fucked up, telling the other three his crushes on them. Well, he didn’t directly tell them.

But they were smart, he gave them the pieces, and all they needed to do was fit them in the right places and they would know.

He groaned loudly, starfishing out on his bed. He didn’t know what to do, and he was half tempted to just hide from the world under his covers.

His stomach growled, and he flushed at the loud sound. First, he’d get some food and then think it over.

Microwaving some pasta that had been left over, he sighed heavily. What  _ should  _ he do? This hadn’t been the way that he wanted to confess to them.

He wanted to wait until he had saved enough money to fly over to their respective colleges, show up at their doorsteps and present them with flowers and confess on bended knee.

Logan would cover his face, red and hot from his flush, stammering denials before shyly accepting his proposal.

Virgil would do the same thing but would perhaps hiss and swipe at him before begrudgingly accept him.

Patton would launch himself at him, smothering Roman with kisses and happy giggles and practically knocking the two to the ground.

Roman smiled fondly as he romanticised his confessions, a small sigh leaving him. He had always loved dreaming up how he would confess to the three of them. 

The microwave gave off a slight ding, and Roman was jolted out of his daydreams. He grabbed the plate, pondering as he ate his pasta.

He wandered back into his room, mindlessly eating his food until he noticed his phone flashing in a notification.

Frowning, he set aside his pasta and scooped up his phone. A new notification displayed.

_ [Emo Knight]: hey, wanna discord? _

Shooting back a positive response, Roman unplugged his laptop. His heart pounded nervously, fruitlessly hoping that this wasn’t about his crush.

The icon blinked, and he accepted the video call.

Virgil’s face popped up on his screen, and seconds later Logan appeared next to him. Roman smiled nervously, a fixed smile on his face.

His heart pounded in fear, he couldn’t decipher the expressions on either of their faces. Virgil’s grey eyes were staring at him in… concern? While Logan’s ice blue eyes held something akin to interest.

The three were stuck in an awkward silence until Roman cleared his throat, “Greetings, you two! For what reason have you summoned me tonight?”

That seemed to do the trick as the two rolled their eyes in unison.

_ “Hey, Princey,” _ Virgil greeted and Logan addressed him with a nod.

_ “Indeed, salutations, Roman, we have a question to ask of you.”  _ Logan stated seriously.

Roman felt sweat drip off of him, and he couldn’t hide the nervousness from his voice as he replied, “Yeah? What’s up?”

Logan and Virgil shared a look, and Roman felt his heart speed up. He didn’t think he had ever had a harder workout than this.

_ “Yes, well, we wish to inform you of something that had come up upon our relationship. There have been many-” _

_ “We’re polyamorous and in love with you and Patton,”  _ Virgil cut in, and Logan made an affronted noise.

_ “We had agreed to ease him into, Virgil!” _

_ “Yeah, but I didn’t think that you would take  _ forever _ to do it.” _

Roman barely heard the rest of the argument as he stared at the two of them in surprise. His ears were ringing, repeating what Virgil had said again and again in his mind.

They… were in  _ love _ with him? This couldn’t be possible. He must be dreaming. This… this isn’t even on par with his most wildest fantasies.

Well, nothing truly was as his imagination was rather fantastical, and this was rather tame in comparison.

However, it still didn’t add up. They… couldn’t be in love with him. He was  _ him, _ for Christ’s sake! No matter how much he played up the prince character, there wasn’t anything remotely princely about him.

He was too loud, too brash. He was an inconsiderate mess. It was impossible to fall in love with him.

_ “-man? Roman?  _ Roman!” Roman startled, almost throwing the laptop off of his lap.

“Yeah? What were you saying?”

Logan shook his head, an amused and fond smile on his face mirrored by Virgil, and oh. That was a blush he felt on his face.

_ “Do you share our feelings?”  _ Logan asked.

Roman opened his mouth, but hesitated, “Why?”

_ “Why what, Roman?” _ Logan asked in confusion, but Virgil gave him a knowing look.

_ “You do deserve love, you know,”  _ Virgil said, and Logan made a noise of understanding,  _ “I don’t care what your brain says, we love you, and we’re not taking it back.” _

“I- but-”

Logan cut him off,  _ “Virgil is correct in that regard. Anything negative about yourself in the romantic regard toward us or others is a falsehood. We genuinely wish to pursue a relationship with you if you are amenable, as well as Patton should he so wish it.” _

“I-I-” Roman stuttered, overwhelmed with the sudden affection from Logan.

_ “Ro, Roman,  _ breathe _. C’mon, you know how I do it,”  _ Virgil coaxed gently, counting the numbers out loud slowly.

Unsteadily, Roman copied the pattern, in and out, in and out. After what felt like hours, his breathing came back to order, and he wiped away stray tears.

“Th-thanks,” he hiccuped, scrubbing the tears away.

_ “No problem, Princey,” _ Virgil said, slightly embarrassed.

_ “Are you alright, Roman? Would you like to speak another time? We can reschedule should you wish it,” _ Logan asked worriedly.

“No, no,” Roman waved away his concern, clearing his throat. “If we-  _ I _ don’t get this out now, I never will.”

_ “Get what out?” _ Virgil asked cautiously.

Roman stared intently into his eyes, “I’m in love with you, Virgil Mason.” He then turned to Logan, “I’m also in love with you, Logan Berry.”

Virgil and Logan held their breaths as Roman continued, “I was in love with Logan first, I think. I told Patton about it, but I was too cowardly to do anything about it. Your passion for justice and thirst for knowledge was captivating. You always spoke your mind, not letting my likeness for flowery speech to get in the way of your work. It was always refreshing and fascinating to hear you go onto any tangent, and though I might not always understand, it was always an enchanting picture.”

Logan was awestruck at the confession, unsure of what to say, and Roman turned to focus on Virgil.

“I don’t remember when I fell for you, it might have been somewhere in senior year but I don’t really remember. Your eyes were what drew me to you. They were so expressive, an ever-shifting kaleidoscope, from fierce protectiveness to soft vulnerability. Though, that is just attraction. Your wit was another factor, your words so sharp that it cut. It rivals even Logan’s.”

Virgil’s steel grey eyes were murky with tears and a vulnerable expression in them. He had covered his mouth with both of his hands, lost for words.

  
Roman sighed, looking away, “The two of you were so different but seemed so right to me. I was so confused when I learned of my true feelings. And then… and then we graduated and you two moved in together and then got together. It was a… difficult time to say the least.”

_ “Roman,” _ Logan breathed out, a hand outstretched toward the screen,  _ “I- I didn’t realize. I- I’m sorry.” _

Roman let out a mirthless laugh, “Better late than never, I suppose. But, it’s fine, you guys didn’t know.”

_ “So what does this mean?” _ Virgil asked cautiously, bangs hiding his eyes.

“Well, I hope your offer is still available,” Roman quirked a small smile.

_ “You mean the one where you join our relationship?”  _ Logan asked once more, hopeful tone almost imperceptible .

Roman nodded shyly, “If you’ll have me.”

_ “We’re the ones that offered in the first place, Princey. So you’re sure you want to be with us?”  _ Virgil asked once more.

“Of course, my Midnight Turmoil!” Roman stretched his arms out dramatically, a grin on his face, “I would love to be in a relationship with you and L here! And should our lovely, pun-some friend would join, then the more the merrier.”

Virgil smirked, and Logan nodded in acquiesce, and Roman felt his heart beat faster and his grin widen impossibly more. They would figure out how to tell and include Patton later.

For now, Roman wanted to spend the night listening and talking with his new lovers.

* * *

 

 

Something had occurred between his other three best friends, Patton was sure of it. Roman had texted him a flurry of emojis and exclamation points that even  _ he _ couldn’t decipher.

Logan had texted him an endearing message of a poem he had found, stating that it reminded him of Patton.

Virgil…. Actually Virgil was exactly the same, so there wasn’t  _ much  _ suspicion on his end.

However, the only evidence that there was any change was that the three of them were the subtle advances toward him.

Patton supposed that they assumed that he wouldn’t notice. However, their video calls had gotten more recent. As if they were actively trying to get his attention or something to that effect.

Logan continued to text him about poems that reminded him about Patton, always with a genuine compliment thrown in somewhere.

Roman was literally singing his praises every moment they were screen to screen.

Virgil seemed to be participating in his conversations with him more.

Patton didn’t know what had happened to make them do this to him, and he refused to let that meagre hope grow from its single spark.

He had already rekindled it when Logan had said that polyamory was a real thing, he didn’t know what he’d do if he lit that spark into a flame, only for it to be snuffed out.

He blinked awake confusedly when his alarm rang, blearily wiping at his face.

Rolling out of bed, he nearly stumbled on his bunny slippers. He slipped them on, fumbling to put his glasses on.

He yawned, stretching his arms out and heading for the kitchen. He prepared his coffee, pouring in a copious amount of milk and sugar.

Sipping it, he said to himself with a giggle, “This ol’ mug sure has a latte good attribrewts!”

He stifled his giggle with another sip and made his way back to his room. Humming, he got ready for his busy day at the coffee shop and library.

Picking up his phone, he noticed three new messages. He swiped open his phone, tapping on the latest one.

_ [Loganberry]: Good morning, Patton. This poem by E.E. Cummings has a special charm to it that I endear in you. Specifically this particular stanza where it states _ , “nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility: whose texture compels me with the colour of its countries, rendering death and forever with each breathing”.  _ I find that you are much like it when the poet recites how there is nothing to compare in an  _ ‘intense fragility’ _ , for there is no one else to compare ‘ _ your’ _ gentle nature and strength against the struggles of the world. I find that an admirable trait of yours, and I wish for you to know that nothing in this world is equal to you. _

_ Affectionately yours, _

_ Logan. _

Patton blushed a hot red reading Logan’s text, but he tilted his head in confusion. Wasn’t he with Virgil? Why was he complimenting- flirting with him?

Was Logan entertaining the idea of polyamory or…?

Patton shook his head away from those thoughts, clicking on Roman’s message.

He had left a voice message, singing brightly. 

_ [Drama Prince]: Good morning, mon cœur~! I hope your day will be as amazing as  _ you  _ are, yêu quý của tôi! You sparkle brighter than the diamonds in the sky! _

The voice message ended there, and Patton felt his blush come back at full force.

Willing his blush away, he clicked on Virgil’s message.

_ [Smol, Dark Son]: hey, i hope your day’s bean brewsome so far. _

Squealing at the puns, he almost dropped his phone. “Oh, no! I still have to get to work!”

Patton trudged back inside his apartment, weary and exhausted after a full day of work. He tossed his bag aside, flopping face first onto his bed.

He groaned at the uncomfortable position, body aching and glasses digging into his face.

There was a chime, and he reluctantly rolled onto his back, lazily bringing his phone out. He opened the screen, where Virgil asked if he wanted to talk.

Sending back a lazy affirmative, Patton grabbed his laptop, booting it up. He clicked the icon to join the video call.

Three smiling faces greeted him, “Hey-” he yawned, “hey, kiddos.”

He stretched tiredly, his shirt riding up and not noticing how the other three had paused to stare at him in adoration, mouths open.

Smacking his lips, he noticed their stares, folding in on himself subconsciously, “What’s with the staring contest, kiddos? I’m not that good, but I’ll keep an  _ eye _ open for you!”

Immediately the moment was broken with Virgil’s giggles and Roman and Logan’s groans. Patton puffed slightly in pride at getting Virgil to giggle, something that rarely happened, and he soaked in the sound.

_ “Salutations, Patton,” _ Logan greeted before his tone turned serious, _ “there is a matter of importance that the three of us wish to share with you.” _

Patton leaned forward in concern when he noticed Virgil fidgeting with his charm bracelet and Roman ducking his head, hiding his expression with his hair.

“What’s the matter?”

Logan shared a look with Virgil and then Roman, and Patton’s worry increased. Logan cleared his voice, reaching up to reposition his glasses.

_ “The three of us have… recently discovered something about us that is critical to our friendship and could be monumental to our relationship,” _ Logan started.

_ “Oh, get to the point, Data Nerd,” _ Roman hurried along, and Logan let out an insufferable sigh.

_ “We had agreed upon my plan, Roman. If you would stop interfering, then I would ‘get to the point’ as you so colloquially called it.” _

Patton watched the back and forth banter Logan and Roman exchanged, the tones less biting and more endearing than he was used to, utterly confused. 

_ “Uh, guys,” _ Virgil interrupted with a roll of his eyes,  _ “why don’t we do it how we did it with Roman?” _

“Do what?” Patton asked, still terribly confused.

Logan exchanged a consipiritory look with Roman, nodding,  _ “That would be satisfactory.” _

_ “Splendid idea, my Dark Knight,”  _ Roman sang, and Virgil blushed, shrinking into his hoodie and Logan.

_ “Yeah, well, whatever,” _ he muttered. The other two shared a silent conversation over two different screens, Roman nodding in what seemed to be acquiesce. 

“I’m still a little lost here, kiddos,” Patton chuckled nervously. “You don’t happen to have a map, do ya?”

_ “Patton, I’ve no idea how I put up with your puns,” _ Logan started, and Patton started at the sudden change.  _ “It is a butcher of the English language, but that was just your charm, I suppose. Your laugh was another thing that drew me in; it was something melodious, innocent and sweet. Your hair was another, soft but messy, just like you. However, what truly made me fall in love with you was your caring nature.” _

Patton gasped, a hand covering his mouth in shock. Logan was in love with him? What about Virgil? Why wasn’t Virgil saying anything? Why was Virgil smiling?

_ “You do  _ so _ much for others, those you don’t know, those who sometimes don’t deserve it. It must get so exhausting for you to continue with a smile on your face. Your strength is so immense, and I admire that in you. It was the first thing I fell in love with about you.” _

“I-I-” Patton was speechless, and Logan leaned back, a soft smile playing on his face and Virgil in his arms.

Roman took over,  _ “When we first me, oh so long ago, I was enamoured. Your kindness was striking, such gentleness couldn’t befit a cruel world as ours, but there you were. Your soft, blue eyes and inviting smile. It was… intoxicating, finding such a beautiful soul in this world, and having some of that focus on me.” _

He looked directly into Patton’s eyes, voice strong,  _ “I love you, Patton Harte, for you. Your strength and kindness, your smile, your laugh, everything that makes you  _ you _ is something I fell in love with about you.” _

Patton let out a watery sob, holding back an onslaught of tears as Virgil took Roman’s place. He didn’t know how to feel about this, his three best friends confessing their love for him. It was so overwhelming. 

_ “Hey, Patty-cake,” _ Virgil cooed,  _ “I know it’s overwhelming right now, but hear us out, okay? It’s just me last.” _

Patton nodded unsteadily, hands falling to pinch at his thighs as he listened to Virgil.

_ “You are so smart, you know that?” _ Virgil said fondly,  _ “It’s not something you hear a lot, but you are. For God’s sake, you’re going to be a psychologist soon! We don’t say it a lot,  _ me _ especially. And I’m sorry about that.” _

Virgil’s eyes were so earnest, and Logan tightened his hold, trying to silently portray his agreement, Roman doing the same on the other screen.

_ “You knew how to get us all together, and I am so grateful for that. You gave me my support that I needed ever since I was young. But that support was supposed to go two, well, four ways.” _

Virgil was solemn as he said that, and Patton’s breath hitched at the implications. But, Virgil only shook his head, not elaborating.

_ “You are a brilliant man, and I love you so much. You gave me my life back, my first love, and my second and third. You’ve been such a pillar of support, but do you want us to be yours? Do you want to be in a relationship with us?” _

Virgil leaned back into Logan’s hold, his hand unconsciously going to his mouth as he bit as his fingernails.

“Hey,” Patton finally choked out, “you know you’re not supposed to bite at your nails. It’s not for polished people.”

Virgil hiccuped a little giggle, and Patton quirked an awkward smile. His best friends, whom he had been in love with for years, were asking him out. He pinched himself again, unsure if this was a dream.

_ “Darling?” _ Roman’s concerned voice sang, and Patton was drawn to him.  _ “Are you alright? You’ve been spaced out for awhile now.” _

“I- uh- I dunno what you want me to say. I’m speechless,” Patton forced out.

Logan frowned,  _ “You are under no obligation to accept our proposal. Should you wish it, the three of us can-” _

“No!” Patton blurted out before he could stop himself, heart pounding. “No! I would like that- er be in a relationship with the three of you, if that’s alright.”

It was Roman’s turn to frown,  _ “Dar- Patton, we wish not to pressure you, are you sure-?” _

“Yes! Yes, very much, yes! I would love to be yours!” Patton’s heart was pounding as he said that, tears threatening to pour. He looked anxiously between the three men that he loved, pinching himself. 

_ “We would like that very much,” _ Logan said finally, and Virgil nodded his head eagerly, grey eyes sparkling with love.

_ “If you are alright with it, my darling, then I am yours!”  _ Roman promised.

Patton felt his heart beat triple time as his eyes flickered between the three of them, and he finally let himself cry the tears he was holding back, smiling and heart full of love.

* * *

 

**_(Omake/Bonus)_ **

__

“Hello?” came Patton’s groggy voice as he picked up his phone. Nearly a year had passed since the four of them had gotten together, and Patton’s life couldn’t be happier. He was a year closer to getting his degree, he had been promoted to manager and he was with the loves of his life.

 

_ “Salutations, dearest,” _ Logan greeted in the same tired voice, and Patton was jarred back to reality.

 

Patton sat up, tiredness forgotten, as he glanced at the clock. He rubbed at the weariness from his eyes, groaning at the ache of his body.

 

“Hey, Lolo,” he croaked, shuffling out of bed. “What’s up, early bird?”

 

_ “Nothing, just wanted to hear your voice.” _

 

If Patton noticed the incorrect grammar, he didn’t comment as he readied his coffee. “Aww, you’re as sweet as honey, Logi-bear.”

 

Logan chuckled,  _ “Thank you, my dearest. I apologize for the early call, but I wished to discuss with you something.” _

 

“Mmm, does it have to do with Virgil and Roman too?” Patton asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

 

_ “Of sorts,” _ Logan evaded,  _ “however, it involves you more than most.” _

 

Patton set down his mug, “You can tell me anything, Lo.”

 

Logan cleared his throat, sounding slightly embarrassed,  _ “Do you remember how we discussed the topics of mar-?” _

 

A loud crash echoed over the receiver, and Logan cursed under his breath. He attempted again,  _ “The four of us had a discussion about marri-!” _

 

Patton yelped in surprise when Logan was cut off with loud cursing at Roman, of all people.

 

He heard as Logan’s phone fell to the ground, and Logan was yelling indecipherable words to the other person.

 

_ “Sorry about that, Pat,” _ came Virgil’s cool voice,  _ “Logan’s busy yelling at an idiot, he’ll have to call you back later.” _

 

There was the sound of a dial tone, and Patton brought his phone away, looking at it perplexed.

 

He stood there staring at his phone before his alarm sounded, and he had to rush to get ready for work.

 

Oddly enough, a similar event happened with Virgil.

 

He had been studying for a final when his text notification went off, and he pulled it out to see that it was from Virgil.

 

_ [Smol, Dark Son]: hey, pat, can i ask you something? _

 

_ [Me]: You already did, but you can ask another, kiddo! _

 

_ [Smol, Dark Son]: haha, pat, but like _

 

There was a pause as Virgil started texting, the three dots bouncing up and down ominously.

 

Then, almost abruptly, the dots stopped bouncing, disappearing altogether. Patton frowned before another text popped up.

 

_ [Smol, Dark Son]: My apologies, Patton, however Virgil has become occupied. He shall return with his question at his convenience. _

 

Patton blinked at the sudden change in vocabulary before shaking his head, thinking that it was nothing if Logan had said so. He went back to studying.

 

Strangely enough, Patton managed to forget all about the two odd occurrences with Logan and Virgil.

 

It was weeks later when it happened again. He was in the middle of getting ready to binge watch another marathon of Parks and Recreation when his phone rang.

 

Slightly irritated at the interruption, he picked it up with a sigh.

 

_ “- I mean calling him doesn’t seem to be a bad idea,” _ Virgil’s voice came through, and Patton was confused.

 

Were the others having a video call without him. The mere thought of it sent him feeling ill, his stomach flipping, that he missed Logan’s reply.

 

_ “But where’s the romance? _ ” Roman protested,  _ “a simple call isn’t enough for our love. We need to-” _

 

_ “Fly down and propose to him face to face. _ ” came Virgil and Logan’s twin response.

 

Patton couldn’t hold back his gasp, and he heard as everyone paused.

 

_ “What was that?” _ Virgil asked.

 

“You guys- you guys want to propose to me?” Patton asked, voice audibly trembling.

 

_ “Shit,” _ Roman said apologetically,  _ “Siri must’ve heard me say call Patton and literally did that.” _

 

_ “Well, the cat’s outta the bag now,” _ Virgil sighed.

 

_ “Perhaps,”  _ and Patton could hear as Logan adjusted his glasses,  _ “but one must always prepare for situations such as these, and this might be for the best as we have not found an acceptable plan prior to this impromptu call. Patton, would you like to marry us?” _

 

“Yes, yes, a million times yes!” Patton cried, feeling tears slide down his face.

 

Patton dropped his phone in his shock, tears wracking his body.

 

He sobbed in happiness. 

 

" _Darling? My darling, are you alright?!”_ Roman asked in concern, Virgil and Logan voicing similar questions.

 

Patton only cried harder as he felt their concern and love for him through the call. 

 

He shakily picked up his phone, “I'm fine. I'm fine! I'm just- I'm just  _ so _ happy.”

 

The relief was palpable, and Patton soaked in the comfortable feeling of being with, even if it wasn't physically, his boyfriends.

 

_ “I still say we should've flown down and told him face to face,”  _ Roman muttered, breaking the moment.

 

_ “Roman!” _

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is for @the-prince-and-the-emo's fic exchange on tumblr for the lovely @Kri-Marie-B-The-NB. Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment below! All mistakes are mine. My tumblr is @rubyredsparks!


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